Nozzle assembly



My 23, E957 w. R. POSTLEWAITE ET AL,

NOZZLE ASSEMBLY Filed NOV. 29, 1954 2 0 n a u m m w ,n 6 0 O n 2 a T u u N m P m R. f I n* W/ fr A E 0 5 Vu 9 f 2 B 8 4 2 mib 1A@ ...w M m m n 7 n. w 4 0 5 0 f f u 2 I lllllllinwllullihd U f f V/ VIII l \.\-M 9 2 .pd.

lll/11xA N Evs nUnited States atent NOZZLE ASSEMBLY William R. Postlewaite, Menlo Park, and Eugene F. Sullivan, El Cerrito, Calif., assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to California Research Corporation, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Application November 29, 1954, Serial No. 471,600

s Claims. (C1. 299-86) This-invention relates to nozzle constructions for introducing a liquid or a liquid and a gas -into a closed vessel for modification of a condition or process taking place therein, and particularly refers to a selectively removable nozzle for introducing a liquid spray into a quench vessel for rapidly and controllably cooling a reactedV gas or vapor therein, with provision for preventing deposits of undesiredaccumulations of condensedsolids on the outer end and the support means for said nozzle structure.

The general procedure and apparatus for which this invention is particularly, but not necessarily adapted, is disclosed and claimed in the copending application for United States Letters Patent, Serial No. 471,602, filed November 29, 1954, and entitled Spray Cooling Apparatus and Method, assigned to the common assignee herewith.

In the operation of quench vessels wherein vaporized. streams containing substances which condense to solid form are treated, it has been troublesome to keep the cooling spray nozzles free from undesired solid accumulations. Inherently the nozzle structure olers the coolest surface on which the solids may condense, and it is only a matter of time until the unit must be shut down to clear the tip of the nozzle from the encrusting solids so that the desired spray configuration may be produced. interrupting the continuity of the quenching process to clean the nozzle is highly undesirable, and this should be minimized.

This invention comprehends broadly a heated jacket arrangement that is substantially coextensive with the length of the nozzle and acts to keep the discharging tip as well as the body of the nozzle free of encrustations or accumulations of solids. Additionally it includes a desirable arrangement for selectively introducing or withdrawing the nozzle body without introduction or loss of pressure or iluids from the tank or vessel into which the nozzle projects.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved form and arrangement of a cooling spray nozzle structure for closed vessels and particularly one which will not be adversely aected in operation by accumulations of solids thereon.

Another object is to provide a cooling or treating nozzle structure that is simply and easily installed or removed without aiecting the pressure or causing fluid entry or loss from the vessel in which the nozzle is mounted.

These and other objects and advantages will be further apparent from the following description and the attached drawing, which forms a part of this specification and illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the lower portion of a preferred arrangement of a nozzle and heating jacket structure.

Figure 2 is a vertical and part sectional view of the upper portion of the arrangement shown in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, reference numeral designates generally a tubular housing member or first conduit,

2,800,367 Patented July 23, 1957 ice the lower portion of which is enclosed by a cylindrical jacket 11 or second conduit forming an annulus 12 which is closed at the top by a llange 13, and at the bottom by an annular plate 14. An inlet connection 15 for steam or other heating fluid communicates with the top of annulus 12 and an outlet connection 16 communicates with a drain pipe 17 extending downwardly to a point near the bottom of the annulus 12 to remove condensate or spent heating uid from the jacket.

Near the upper end of jacket 11 there may be mounted a flange 18, cooperating with a second flange 19 from which there depends a tubular guard or shield member 20, which may be secured in any desired manner as by welding to the shell of the vessel 21 into which the nozzle elements, to be described below, are adapted to project. The tubular housing member of first conduit 10 extends upwardly above the flange 13 Where it is provided with a gate valve 22,and continues (Figure 2) upwardly to a separable coupler 23, above which member 10 terminates in a stuffing box 24.

Extending throughout tubular housing member 10, in this example, is a third conduit member 25, provided as its upper end with a stuing box 26 through which projects an inner pipe or fourth conduit 27 carrying the cooling liquid to be sprayed. Pipe 27 extends substantially throughout third conduit 25 and is connected by sleeve 23 to a conventional nozzle tip 29 from which a divergent spray of liquid is projected to just graze the lower inner end of enclosing jacket 11. If air or other gas under pressure is required for the desired atomization or distribution of the liquid, it is admitted through inlet connection 30, at the upper end of third conduit 25 below stuffing box 26, and passes downwardly in the annulus between pipe 27 and third conduit 25 to enter the nozzle tip 29 through passages 31. Alternatively, if no pressurizing gas is required, fourth conduit 27 may be omitted and third conduit 25 may be used to convey only the cooling liquid to the atomizing spray tip 29.

One of the features o1' the invention is the accurate positioning of the nozzle tip 29 to be substantially ush and within the lowest end of the heating jacket 11, to receive head radiated therefrom which will prevent building up of solid deposits on that tip. One means for insuring this alignment is illustrated in Figure 2, and consists of an indexing gauge stop or bracket 32 extending upwardly from the top of the tubular housing member or iirst conduit 10. To facilitate removal and insertion of third conduit 25, which forms the retractable nozzle structure, a lifting hook 34 with a suitable hole 35 may extend upwardly above the end of that conduit.

The construction just described provides means for removably positioning the nozzle tip 29 at the lower end of third conduit 25 at the desired point Within the heating jacket 11 formed by first and second conduits 10 and 11, respectively, and, by lifting conduit 25 to a point where nozzle tip 29 is above gate valve 22, the latter may be closed. Thereafter, separable coupler 23 may be disconnected and conduit member 25, together with the upper end of conduit 10 carrying stuing box 24 and its associated connections, may be completely separated from the Vlower end of iirst conduit 10 for renewal or maintenance, without loss of pressure or iluid from vessel 21 into which the jacket 11 projects. To replace the spray unit, the removal operation just described is reversed and coupler 23 is secured, whereupon Valve 22 may be opened to permit further downward travel of the conduit 25 and nozzle tip 29 to the point determined by stop 32.

Although a single arrangement of this invention has been described and illustrated, it is understood that changes and alterations could be made without departing from its essential features, and all such modifications that are within the scope of the appended claims are intended to be covered thereby.

We claim:

1'. A nozzle assembly for introducing fluid into aclosed. vessel, comprising a first conduit adapted to extendinto.

said vessel, asecond conduit enclosing a part of said 'rst conduit and coextensive therewith inside of said vessel, means closing the ends of the space between said conduits to forma jacket adapted to receive a circulating heat-exchange fluid, inlet and outlet means communicating with said jacket for introducing and withdrawing said heat-exchange uid, the outwardly extending portion of said. rst conduit being provided with a valve and a terminal packing gland, a third conduit adapted to Vextend through said-packing gland andthroughout said iirst: conduit, anozzle at the inner end ofv said third conduit, and means forgintroducing uid, into said third conduit, so constructed-and arranged that the inner end of said third conduit may be withdrawn to apoint outside of said valve, whereby the valve may be closed for further withdrawal of said third conduit and said nozzle Without passage of uid into or out. of said vessel through said rst conduit.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, withthe'addition of a fourth conduit extending throughout said third conduit, said nozzle communicating with both said third and said fourth conduits, and means for. admitting a second fluid into the outer end of said fourth conduit to be mixed in said nozzle with fluid from said third conduit.

3. An assembly according to claim 1 with the addition of means for confining said nozzle within the inner end of said first and said second conduits.

4. An assembly according to claim 1, with the addition of a separable connector in said first conduit between said valve and said packing gland to permit the outermost cnd portion of said irst conduit and said packing gland to remain upon said third conduit when the latter is withdrawn.

5. An assembly according to claimV 1, with the addition of means extending throughout the space between said lirst and said second conduits for removing spent heatexchange fluid from the outer end thereof.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,642,418 K'ovanda Sept. 1'3', 1927 1,798,032 Rice Mar. 24, 1931 21,641,451 Kaiser June 9, 1953 2,644,717 Kopperschmidt July 7, 1953 2,667,341l BuSfleld Ian. 26, 1954 2,676,843? Parsons Apr. 27, 1954 2,705,671 Bencowitz Apr. 5, 1955 2,712,961 Richardson July l2, 1955 

1.A NOZZLE ASSEMBLY FOR INTRODUCING FLUID INTO A CLOSED VESSEL, COMPRISING A FIRST CONDUIT ADAPTED TO EXTEND INTO SAID VESSEL, A SSECOND CONDUIT ENCLOSING A PART OF SAID FIRST CONDUIT AND COEXTENSIVE THEREWITH INSIDE OF SAID VESSEL, MEANS CLOSING THE ENDS OF THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID CONDUITS TO FORM A JACKET ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A CIRCULATING HEAT-EXCHANGE FLUID, INLET AND OUTLET MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID JACKET FOR INTRODUCING AND WITHDRAWING SAID HEAT-EXCHANGE FLUID, THE OUTWARDLY EXTENDING PORTION OF SAID FIRST CONDUIT BEING PROVIDED WITH A VALVE AND A TERMINAL PACKAGING GLAND, A THIRD CONDUIT ADAPTED TO EXTEND THROUGH SAID PACKING GLAND AND THROUGHOUT SAID FIRST CONDUIT, A NOZZLE AT THE INNER END OF SAID THIRD CONDUIT, AND MEANS FOR INTRODUCING FLUID INTO SAID THIRD CONDUIT, SO CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED THAT THE INNER END OF SAID THIRD CONDUIT MAY BE WITHDRAWN TO A POINT OUTSIDE OF SAID VALVE, WHEREBY THE VALVE MAY BE CLOSED FOR FURTHER WITHDRAWAL OF SAID THIRD CONDUIT AND SAID NOZZEL WITHOUT PASSAGE OF FLUID INTO OR OUT OF SAID VESSEL THROUGH SAID FIRST CONDUIT. 